Reviews

For review and radio play consideration:

Please send vinyl (preferred), CD, or cassette releases to MRR, PO Box 3852, Oakland, CA 94609, USA. Maximum Rocknroll wants to review everything that comes out in the world of underground punk rock, hardcore, garage, post-punk, thrash, etc.—no major labels or labels exclusively distributed by major-owned distributors, no reviews of test pressings or promo CDs without final artwork. Please include contact information and let us know where your band is from!

Guile Self Worth cassette

Metallic hardcore out of Vancouver that mixes old school palm-muted thrash with raspy vocals. It’s not bad, but GUILE would probably sit comfortably in the middle of a local hardcore or metal bill—it’s not exactly groundbreaking. Lyrics range from the personal on “Barb Tarbox” to the geopolitcal on “Fukishima Gargler” (your requisite anti-nuclear song) and “Supremacy of Failures,” a track with a minute-thirty instrumental chugga chugga intro. “Hollow Gesture” is the best one here, with furious downbeats that quicken into a fast hardcore beat. The production is crystal clear with thick distorted bass tones and heavy guitar, but it ends up sounding a little polished. The vocals are delivered as near-blackened (toasted?) raspy snarls that are carefully delivered, but lack the chaos that bands of similar ilk like ZORN deliver. I’m curious what the band sounds like live, because the performance, while competently done, all sounds a bit restrained. Worth a listen for dyed-in-the-wool heshers.

Hyacinth Dedicated to Disappointment LP

Fresh new hardcore from Czechia. It’s heavy, yet agile, and the songs have a lot of nuance and tempo changes. It swings between broody plodding and hype thrashing, and there are alternating vocals—a meaty main voice and intermittent possessed shrieks. Punctuated by soundbites à la the 1990s, these nine tracks are creatively composed and go down smooth.

Indoctrinate Kollapse LP

One look at the cover art and Miss Machine from DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN comes to mind. The intro evokes the chaotic collage of mass media madness from CURSED’s Architects of Troubled Sleep. The second track “Normalcy Über Alles” erupts into a frenzy of blastbeats and heavy HM-2w riffage à la TRAP THEM, until the middle weirdly features a spoken word part that almost feels like rapping with scratches included. A not so common choice, to mix dark hardcore with elements of hip hop. The vocals would fit well in a band like EVERYTIME I DIE; they also keep a foot in post-hardcore (or mathcore, to be more specific). It keeps throwing you curveballs and mixing genres that seemingly shouldn’t mix together, but the backbone is always dark hardcore and CONVERGE-styled metalcore. This is a very different and crazy mix of influences that in a peculiar way works OK as a final product.

Ross Johnson with Cloudland Canyon Women, Money, Children / I Know Why They Leave 7″

From ranting on ALEX CHILTON’s Like Flies on Sherbert in 1979 to drumming for the PANTHER BURNS, Memphis noisemaker Ross Johnson lives to rabble another day on this single with CLOUDLAND CANYON. It trades the psychobilly stomp of Vanity Sessions, which JOHNSON recorded with Jeffrey Evans in 2014, for the psychedelic and experimental sounds provided by CLOUDLAND CANYON—synths, looping sound bites, drum machine and distant guitars. While the prefix “psych” transfers from one project to the other, so does JOHNSON’s ability to spout strings of confessional complaints and late-night reveries. “Women, Money, Children” on Side A chugs along with a desert-rock sort of feeling; bass and drums keep a steady pace for fuzzy little guitar leads under JOHNSON’s bar room logic of “Why is it that the ones you want, don’t want you / And the ones that want you, you don’t want?”—the otherwise straight-driven rhythm swerves in endless diatribes that lead to places like “Radio Free Europe” by the songs’ end. “I Know Why They Leave” on Side B forgets the rock beat for a programmed sound of synth percussion like a dark section of a FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD song, with the dub production of LEE SCRATCH PERRY sung by a drunk Phil Alvin. If you enjoy lyrics from the patriarchy of rock’n’roll yore and the aforementioned blender drink of whatever’s happening on the B-side, then belly up to this release.

Lone Creep Drama Queen CD

Back in the ’80s there was a band from Colorado Springs, Colorado called the CREEPS that played thrashy skatepunk and had a pretty good run, amassing a dedicated regional audience over the course of their seven-year lifespan. I encountered them on a fascinating comp that I reviewed in 2023, Colorado Springs Underground 1983–1994: Volume 1. In an unsuccessful attempt to revive the CREEPS for a potential fortieth anniversary album, one of said CREEPS stabbed out on his own…and thus we have LONE CREEP. As a solo endeavor, LONE CREEP carries the torch of the original outfit’s sound, cranking out energetic, at times melodic punk rock with a wry wit and political bent. There’s something about this album that reminds me of Metal Devil Cokes-era MDC. Perhaps it’s the blend of crude and satirical humor with biting political commentary, or the fact that the original CREEPS were also known to cover “Mongoloid.” Whatever the case, there is a lesson here for us all: if your friends turn out to be more flaky than creepy, never fear—even forty years on, you too may become a LONE CREEP.

Malignant Tumour Maximum Rock ‘N’ Roll CD

Long-running Motörcharged metallic rock’n’rollers coming straight from Czech Republic. I’m here listening for the fourth time perhaps, still trying to decide if it suits MRR or if this would fit better in another kind of publication. Sure enough, cadences are medium-to-fast-paced, crusty metallic forms are there, good riffy guitars, vocals are ragged and familiar to hard rock connoisseurs, but still there’s something that tells me this is a very good production and yet does not reach the fiber that triggers the rage. Favorite track: “Hard Pint of Heavy” in Lemmy’s honor, the missing link that got me through this dense album.

Menschenfeind Czas Apokalipsy 10″

With members from Russia and Germany, this heavy group serves up some slick metallic punk with traces of Oi! in the vocal delivery at times. Translated from German, MENSCHENFEIND means “misanthrope,” and that’s essentially the gist of these four bangers presented in the ever-polarizing 10” format.

Nervous B.O. Sick & Perverted cassette

Synth-heavy noise punk from Sweden. Six tracks of video game-y, drum-machine-driven tunes with intentionally wildly out-of-tune vocals on top. This would be in good company with the New Jersey egg-punk band I once referred to as “the most polarizing band in punk,” BIG CHUNGUS. NERVOUS B.O. (also written as NERVOUS BODY ODOR) is a bit of a confusing band to attempt to understand. They have a number of releases, a few since this one it seems, but it’s a little difficult to tell for sure based on how difficult it is to navigate their Bandcamp. I am as confused as I am entertained by some of these songs and the wild choice of snare tone for the drum machine on them. Limited edition of 25 cassettes (with cool little hand-drawn demon on the inside cover) by Xtro, not sure about other labels’ quantities.

On the Might of Princes Sirens LP reissue

Holy musical candy to my ears. I was certainly given music directly in my lane with the review of ON THE MIGHT OF PRINCES’ Sirens. Driving beats, plaintive vocals, melodic hardcore/emo sounding straight outta the best New Brunswick basement circa 2001 but with the polish and sheen of the likes of ENVY. The album opens up with a guitar riff on “No Sign of the Messiah (Pt II)” to set the emotional landscape of heartache those of us kids of the messageboards crave. Truth be told, I always knew of ON THE MIGHT OF PRINCES because of their proximity to so many bands I loved back in the day, but never got the opportunity to see them. This re-release is driving home for me the harsh reality that I truly missed out. Fans of THURSDAY, SAETIA, HOT CROSS, and, as I noted—partly tongue-in-cheek and partly dead serious—the messageboards of the aughts, will fall in love and put this on repeat.

Prevail Prevail cassette

This limited cassette re-release of the second 7″ from this late ’90s South Carolina screamo hardcore band is a gritty blast from the past. The scooped-mids production, crunchy guitars, and boomy bass nail the era’s vibe, while the vocalist’s high-pitched and raspy scream-sing style makes them a perfect match for a bill with REVERSAL OF MAN or FORCE FED GLASS. It’s an aggressively raw recording that definitely sparks my nostalgia for the ’90s hardcore scene that is worlds apart from that shit they’re calling screamo nowadays. All of these songs are on their discography Curtain Call, but if you don’t have that already and you need something to play on your Walkman, you should jump fast to snatch this up.

Skabs World Burner cassette

UK metalpunk four-piece SKABS return after their 2023 demo with World Burner. Four tracks of heavy-ass, death metal-influenced punk with “crustified” black metal-styled vocals. SKABS’ dynamic sound oscillates between mid-tempo grooves with occasional blastbeats here and there, maintaining things interesting throughout. Sometimes you just want to listen to something that makes you want to headbang and this is it!

S.O.H. Cost to Live LP

Coming from Los Angeles, S.O.H. gives us some raging hardcore crust. This band can write a hardcore crust song while having some melody in their musical structure, and that’s not a bad thing. Their music has a lot of different textures to it, and they can take you up a mountain and then drop you off a cliff. I like it. It reminds me just a bit of some of the crust and hardcore that came out in the 1990s. This band makes their own music their own way and it sounds how they want it to. Now that’s punk!

Storm Boy Superposition! CD

Not sure if this is my stale 40oz of malt liquor. These guys are really, really adamant, but I couldn’t tell you about what. Foggy Washington sorta-grungers STORM BOY are doing a kind of TAD-meets-Frank Black thing that’s turned up to eleven on the melodrama. Four songs that bleed into themselves. I couldn’t tell you much more.

Suffocating Madness Unrelenting Forced Psychosis LP

Thrash-laden, D-beat-inspired noisy raw fucking hardcore punk: that’s Unrelenting Forced Psychosis by SUFFOCATING MADNESS. From the very start, I’m reminded of Swedish hardcore band VICTIMS or maybe even WOLFBRIGADE. But then there’s this fuzzy punk energy that reminds me of the SWANKYS, or maybe it’s DEATH DUST EXTRACTOR. Either way, it’s supercharged with enough thrash punk à la CRYPTIC SLAUGHTER to launch the whole recording into warp speed. I think I just found my new favorite album.

Tiebreak Hardcore Bugs EP

Oslo’s TIEBREAK returns with Hardcore Bugs, their first release since 1998’s Stand Hard EP which made some waves before the band broke up a couple of years later for one reason or another. In spite of the band’s decades-long absence, they sound good here, playing youth crew hardcore that doesn’t sound at all out of place with the current crop of modern bands playing the same style. I really have no further notes other than that they unfortunately lose one point for the album artwork, which is confusing in my opinion. Anyway, if you’re into youth crew vets BERTHOLD CITY, you’ll like this.

Tube Alloys Evil Angels / Lizard Kingdom 7″

TUBE ALLOYS return on the heels of last year’s fantastic debut album with a double A-side single for their most recent US tour. These tracks are taken from the same material that became Magnetic Point, so if you dug their debut, you’ll be drawn to these tracks right away. Both tracks here are stellar post-punk. “Evil Angels” is stocked with a propulsive bass line, wiry guitars, snotty vocals, and a brilliant sense of urgency. “Lizard Kingdom” is more post-punk, but you can feel the krautrock seeping in from all sides with its repetitive, almost droning instrumentation, not to mention its brief sample of TRIO’s classic “Da Da Da” to kick things off. Top-tier stuff, as you might expect from the always reliable La Vida Es Un Mus.

Ultraman Dead End Thoughts Under a Crawling Sky LP

This Missouri band returns with its first full-length of original material in twenty years, and it sounds pretty damn good. These thirteen tracks hit with that satisfying weight of distinctly midwestern melodic punk with just the right amount of grit. This fits nicely alongside acts like DILLINGER FOUR and OFF WITH THEIR HEADS, to give a slight frame of reference, but this band is doing its own thing with a lot of heart and a lot of hooks. The harmonies hit on tracks like “Second Hand,” which has teeth and heft while sticking to a strong melodic center. It’s nice to hear a band that lives the punk half of the pop punk equation so that both elements work together. It creates a balanced and thoroughly addictive sound. It’s heartening to see this band get back in the saddle. Here’s hoping for more music on the trail ahead.

Value Added Tell Us Like We Are CD

Former members of SOME VELVET SIDEWALK and JAPANTHER board a time machine bound for the heavy fuzz and wry, observational songwriting of the late ’80s-mid-’90s subterranean rock scene. Opener “Inside/Outside” and “Endless Grid” could have nestled nicely on SONIC YOUTH’s landmark Sister LP but also recall the thick layered distortion of bands like CHAVEZ and DEAD MEADOW. The slow-moving grooves here are enough to get your head bobbing, and the lyrics are frequently funny. Take the rambling storytelling of “Endless Grid”: “I’m at my desk and my phone is ringing, but it’s not ringing cause it’s 2022 so it’s this nice melody thing / I pick it up and I can see the name of the person calling, which still fucking amazes me / And so I say ‘Hi Dylan, it’s nice to hear from you, what’s up?’ / Dylan is 22 and he says, ‘I’m living in Albany, I have six roommates, we just moved the drums into the living room because it’s getting so crowded in the basement!’ / And I say ‘Oh, that’s great to hear, it sounds like you’re in a community, that’s really important’ / And Dylan says ‘Yeah! things are going pretty good’ — and I want to say ‘Don’t take drugs!’” That’s the first verse out of three, and after a while, you’re like, “What did he say next? What are Dylan’s plans?” There are also a few instrumental fuck-arounds (I’m pretty sure “Unroll (Unroll Inside)” was just an excuse to play with a vocoder), but they thankfully don’t take away from the vibe too much. If you miss the heady, honey-thick tones of years past, check this one out.

V/A Yes Liberation: A Benefit for Mutual Aid in Gaza cassette

The third and (sadly) final installment to a series of international compilations whose proceeds support mutual aid efforts in Gaza. This is a great opportunity to contribute to an important cause and hear some exclusive/rare cuts by some of the most ripping bands on the planet. Featuring songs from all-time favorites like ZOUNDS, BURNING KITCHEN, and HELLSHOCK, to the cream of punk’s current crop such as GOLPE, CHAIN CULT, FAIRYTALE, and QUARANTINE, the tracklist reads like a hardcore who’s-who. All told, there are 23 selections and not a single dud in the bunch. Israel’s repugnant assault on Gaza is an insidious and growing stain on the decency of humankind. Here’s a chance to channel funds to where they are needed most, and add a badass tape to your collection at the same time. Collect all three! It should be mandatory!!  

Amor, Muerte Y Leonora Amor, Muerte Y Leonora cassette

A cassette collection of the first two EPs recorded by this Spanish egg-punk band. I am unsure if there was a physical release of them independent of this collection, but seeing as how each is a mere two songs long and the artwork is almost indistinguishable from one cover to the other, I am glad that Knuckles on Stun has done us the service of putting both EPs on one cassette. Poppy, bouncy egg-punk, quite possibly the poppiest of this style I have yet to encounter. I know a lot of people seem to be a bit over the egg-punk phenomenon, but if new projects are popping up and releasing wildly catchy bops like the four tracks contained on this cassette, I will personally never tire of it. Knuckles on Stun limits all their releases to 25 cassettes, so act now or forever miss out on a physical copy of these four killer, scrambled tracks.

Artificial Go Hopscotch Fever LP

They apparently only started the project at the beginning of this year, but Cincinnati’s ARTIFICIAL GO cut right to the chase with their debut LP (and debut, period) Hopscotch Fever. An incessant wiggle of sparse and trebly guitar, solidly skeletal drumming, and mannered, alternately animated/nonplussed faux-Brit-accented vocals are roughed-up in a charmingly lo-fi and ramshackle recording, placing yet another daisy in the chain connecting today’s Midwestern post-punk weirdos to both the art school new wave eccentricity of SUBURBAN LAWNS and the scratchy naivety of late ’70s/early ’80s Rough Trade—the sort of band that would perform on rollerskates while decked out in loud, upcycled vintage outfits neo-New Wave Theatre-style, as they do in the video for “Pay Phone.” The taut, rhythmic herky-jerk of “Artificial Go” and the spacious brokedown disco groove snaking through “On Off” cast ARTIFICIAL GO as the less rambunctious kid siblings to their Feel It fam SPREAD JOY, as “Walk Like a Dog” and “Feeling Foxy” unwind into an ultra-minimalist, lopsided jangle like a modern BONA DISH, with Angie Willcutt’s too-cool vocal indifference buttoning everything up just so. Can’t really blame them for skipping any demo/single introduction formalities when they had this up their sleeves.

Beef ll Manzo EP

Synth-y garage punk band with a slight touch of horror punk at times. I loved how cohesive this EP was throughout and how the songs continued to build off of each other. That being said, I feel like I wanted a little more variation with the synth throughout the different songs as it seemed quite similar in a couple of them, but I do think that it added another dimension to the songs. The combination of edge and a bit of goofiness, like in “Secondhand Toe Jam,” really made the songs come to life. In “Spell,” it felt like the synths were taunting me and egging me on to go and do something like run into a wall.

Black & White Cat / Black & White Cake Black & White Cat / Black & White Cake LP

This nine-song full-length by Buffalo, New York’s BLACK & WHITE CAT / BLACK & WHITE CAKE is an entertaining rollercoaster. A general post-punk vibe crosses through all the songs, but some are synthesized punk and a few are plodding towards darkwave. When you realize BLACK & WHITE CAT / BLACK & WHITE CAKE is a reference to the 1977 horror film The Sentinel and their favorite band is KILLING JOKE, then things start to make a lot of sense. Two guitars dance around in chaotic repetitions as digital drums and dirty, distorted bass keep time. “Invoke” is perhaps my favorite song with its build-up and very Jaz Coleman delivery.

Boston Babies Boston Babies LP

Not really memorable at all. I’ve never really been a fan of that NEW YORK DOLLS style of punk, and this seems to fit right in with that. Just really boring, felt overly long for an album of that style. Honestly, come to think of it, I can’t remember a single lyric off of this thing. It would be one thing if they actually tried something original with their sound, but no, they continued to water it down with crappy production and mediocre (at best) performances. Yawn.

Catspidar Catspidar CD

Noisy, loud, and chaotic! Twenty “songs,” or bursts of noisy grinding hardcore punk, solely focused on venting about how bad random things are. Song titles like “Knocked Loose is Bad” or “TikTok is Bad” instantly makes one think of ANAL CUNT and Seth Putnam’s hatred towards the world. Sonically, it is tamer than the aforementioned band, and in a way comes close to some of the more punky PIG DESTROYER songs. CATSPIDAR only wants one thing: to tell you that everything sucks!

Cindy7 / Jimsobbins split cassette

The two bands featured on this split appear to be intermingled, as writing credits for all of the songs are attributed to “Adam + Lucy.” JIMSOBBINS kick things off with a synth-driven garage punk sound that hews closely to the egg-tastic racket being produced by Aussie heroes GEE TEE. Their four tracks are fun, frenetic, and well-executed. CINDY7 is not as easy to pin down. Freewheeling and unmoored, they do a little genre hopping, flittering from a loose and blown-out BLATZ sorta thing to something approaching crusty D-beat, and back to the egg-punk thing. In theory, I don’t mind the dabbling, but the end result feels half-baked rather than hard-boiled.

Detroit 442 / Superdevil split LP

Solid split here from these Eastern Michiganders. DETROIT 442 sounds like an Americanized version of the DAMNED if they adopted the vocal styling of LEFTOVER CRACK and the HOLD STEADY. Yeah, I know. That’s a wild combo, but the singer has a lot of range and bounces between brutal screaming, melodic mumbling, and Fred Schneider-esque sprechgesang. Great guitar leads laden throughout glue everything else together. Old school, dystopian punk’n’roll. “I’m Not Crazy I’m On Drugs” may as well be our national anthem at this point. On the flipside, the vocalist from SUPERDEVIL has an impressively deep growl of a voice. It’s like if Tony the Tiger decided he wanted to take up a pack-a-day habit, and start singing in a band that took all of the best qualities from DEAD KENNEDYS and ANTISEEN and molded them into one big rock’n’roll monster. There’s a pretty great STIFF LITTLE FINGERS cover here as well. Both bands sound different enough that this makes for a pretty satisfying split LP.

The Exile The Real People EP reissue

Exposing a new generation to obscure Scottish first-wavers the EXILE’s second and final 7” from 1978, this reissue from the awesome Italian archivists at Breakout Records allows you to claim another forgotten fragment of punk history. The title track is tuff stuff, compounding a ’70s hard rock charge with a rhythm section that vaguely recalls RAMONES’ “Commando.” “Tomorrow Today” is standard UK pop punk of the era led by a slinky guitar line. Finally, we land on “Disaster Movie,” a snappy, STOOGES-lite affair that’s the most solid cut here by my estimation. The band’s debut EP has also been granted a new pressing, but if you had to grab only one of them, The Real People is by far the punker of the two records and the one I’d recommend.

Eyes and Flys All the Tigers in Texas / Seabird 7″

The two-song single can be the ultimate medium to tell potential listeners exactly what your band is about. There’s no world-building, no narratives attempting to be woven, just a single and its flip. The perfect format. And EYES AND FLYS definitely seem to feel similarly, as this single follows the given mold, but it’s only in theory. The A-side is the rocker, the B-side the more exploratory side. As soon as the needle drops, you get what this band is about. Nailed it. The A-side “All the Tigers in Texas” does indeed hit the ground running with fast guitars, dual shouted lyrics, and energy that jumps out of your speakers, but for me, it seems to run out of breath before getting to any destination. The song feels like it’s going to culminate into something awesome, given how strong it starts. Instead, it just slowly comes unwound in a wash of guitars, like they went in without an ending and it just stayed that way. In theory, this EYES AND FLYS single is how the medium is done. In practice, I’m still not sure what this band is going for, even after multiple listens.

Freat I.H.T.U. cassette

Politically-charged Midwest synth punk that is virtually unlistenable. These folks have their hearts in the right place, and sing (vocalize?) about bodily autonomy, the pervasiveness of QAnon-fueled conspiracy theories, and the growing hate group Moms for Liberty, but it is done with such inept musicianship that it runs the risk of losing all meaning. The tracks feature simple drum programming and synth washes with growly, bluesy, out-of-time spoken vocals that sound like they are being read from a notebook. This is backed by rudimentary guitar phrases and occasional gang vocals (I’m assuming from whoever else was in the bedroom at the time of recording) that yell out the song titles. I give FREAT maximum DIY spirit points and applaud their punk effort at creating an outlet for their frustrations. But, sonically, it’s remarkably bad.

Goatzilla Alien Nation LP

Judging by the band name and album art I totally expected this to be doom metal, and while there’s hints of that peppered throughout, this is a pure rock’n’roll record. In fact, this gives off darkened glam vibes. GOATZILLA sounds like a modern day TWISTED SISTER with a singer that cops a sinister Dee Snider-meets-Lemmy energy. Really fantastic production here as well, everything is loud and heavy but discernible and crisp. With huge guitars and soaring solos, this teeters way more on the metal side of things than punk. So if that ain’t what you’re into, this might not be your bag, but for those of us who long for a dystopian Sunset Strip, this is well worth a listen.

Golpe Subisci. Conformati. Rassegnati EP

I put this on and I was greeted with a sonic explosion that I wasn’t exactly prepared for, even though I have heard this before. This is absolutely crushing modern D-beat of the highest order, fitting in nicely alongside bands like VAASKA, RAT CAGE, SCARECROW, DESTRUCT, and GUERRA FINAL. Originally released on a cassette in 2019. If you like the above bands at all, you should run out and get this today, or mail order it right now!

Hyper Gal After Image CD

Following up their 2021 debut, HYPER GAL returns with a further excursion towards outer-bounds sonic experimentation. The Osaka artist duo blasts their way through nine cuts of maximalist drum-and-synth recitations with an unwonted intensity. Atop the throbbing, swirling, noise-laden foundation, the ultra-clean ingenious vocals transmit repeated signals. There are times when the songs will tempt you into thinking they are coming unglued, only to snap back into a locked mechanical groove. It’s an unsettling listening experience that has to be heard to be believed.

The Ichi-Bons Get Away / Heart Attack 7″

Great, old school rock’n’roll played how it’s meant to be. The first side is just really fun and has a lot of top-notch soloing that’s very LINK WRAY-inspired. The second side is a radical instrumental with some spirited shouting in the background to give the song that extra kick in the ass. Not really much to say other than get your hands on this single if you can. This is the shit I’d rather be hearing in stores across America instead of whatever the sick bastards that queue the music in there play.

Kalte Hand S​ä​ureblocker 12″

Catchy, moody post-punk band from Germany. As someone who doesn’t speak or understand German, I loved that you don’t have to know exactly what the singer is saying to understand the music; it speaks for itself. KALTE HAND isn’t afraid to go heavy with the drums and rhythm section as a whole, as well as beginning and ending the album with anxious guitar lines that sound like they’re trying to escape something, all of which creates a darker and intriguing vibe to their music.

¡Miau! ¡Miau! LP

Histrionic project from Madrid presenting an electro-charged LP of synth punkers—crazy, explosively-tweaked songs with even crazier vocals that seem dissonant and with a crybaby attitude, merging beautifully with the tightest electronic drums given outstanding space in the mix, and deep synth and keyboard work. Onion-layered, they verse on different existentialist themes but also execute Spanish folk-related songs, and I personally very much enjoyed the social-critique-focused tracks like “Pepita Pantalonera” and “La Cruel Inocentada.” Gracefully executed egg-punk with a distinct identity and solid grip of its own, a merit not always found in many synth punk projects. Eager to hear more.

Moving Targets In the Dust LP

Somewhere in Boston, a divorced dad is excitedly knocking back beers over the release of this LP and jamming to his favorite local band, MOVING TARGETS. However, this is not me. I may not be the intended audience for this release, perhaps aimed at those who enjoy “melodic hardcore,” as the band puts it. They have a very loose definition of what hardcore is, with this album being composed of casual, almost pop-sounding rock—unfortunately, this is synonymous with being “background noise” in my terms. The album is unprovocative and placating, yet it certainly isn’t bad. It’s almost so cohesive and generally pleasing that there’s nothing particularly notable or interesting. This LP is surely better heard live for the full head-banging effect that is missing in the recording. The drums and tambourine in “Sacrifice” are fun. The singing-like riffs of the guitar near the end of “Decadent Side” and “End of The Line” suggest that the band does know how to take things up a level. If you’re into that sort of feel-good sunshine punk, then by all means take a trip In the Dust.

Nafra A Mort LP

Catalunyan hardcore punks NAFRA’s new album A Mort is a wild ride that’s giving me all the right vibes. These Spanish punks have really nailed their sound with this fourth release, blending the raw energy of hardcore with sharp vocals that bite the hand that feeds and leave it bleeding. The tracks are fast-paced and unapologetic, making it impossible not to nod your head or mosh along, and it’s clear as day that they’ve poured their heart into this release. Extra points for the Catalan DISCHARGE cover “No Escoltis, No Miris, No Parlis” (“Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing”). If you’re on the lookout for something fierce, A Mort is worth the spin!

Negative Gears Moraliser LP

Over the summer, NEGATIVE GEARS from Sydney released this great full-length Moraliser,  packed with bopping punk energy but also a wide range of sonic exploration. “Attention to Detail,” probably my favorite song on the album, reminds me of the ASTRONAUTS merging with KILLING JOKE, only to be a lilting instrumental towards its end. “Lifestyle Damages,” the song that follows, sounds like it could be a BUZZCOCKS or DAMNED song. I guess what I’m saying is it’s just great quality punk rock from the very start until the very end.

Rearranged Face Far Green Arcade LP

Fourth release from Los Angeles’ REARRANGED FACE. Eleven short and well-textured songs lie within, exuding the cult-like banddom of DEVO: spiky synth and guitar galore, while drab backing vocals dutifully agree with some wild David Byrne-esque moments in the lead vocals. The guitar riffs seem to repeat themselves from song to song—or lead you to believe so—achieving a mesmeric soundscape, propelled by clumpy drums and a steady bass. The rhythms are just as snake-y as they are sharp, the songs just as odd (where’d that bird sound come from?) as they are fun. And in keeping with House of Tomothy’s true-to-analog studio, this was created without the use of a computer. This is good medicine right now.

S.H.I.T. For a Better World 12″

Straight from Canada, a violent and precise telescope to the shit system nowadays, delivering chainsaw mayhem guitars with tasty whips of riffage, solid, faster-cadence drums, and a great mixing job balanced between vocals, electronic effects, and chaotic, ball-of-fiery-sound hardcore punk. Disrupting and touching nerves on socio-political and military issues but also introspecting on themes of the self, vomiting a solid message with great execution on each track. Mental album, solid in the top ten of the year for sure. Suggested: “Corporate Funded Killing Technology” and “KTF.”

Stiv Bators It’s Cold Outside / The Last Year 7″ reissue

Munster reissue of this stone-cold classic from STIV BATORS. Originally released by Bomp! in 1979, “It’s Cold Outside” is a cover of the garage classic by the CHOIR, but BATORS’ version takes the song to new heights. If you’re not already familiar, and late ’70s Bomp! didn’t already give it away, this is apex power poppy punk music. The B-side, while not a classic on the level with the A-side, is a lovely, contemplative tune that continues the sounds of its respective flip. I’m not exactly sure if this record was in dire need of a reissue, as copies aren’t exactly tough to come by, but Munster always does a nice job with their releases so I’m not here to question. If you don’t have an original copy, now you have no excuse not to snag a copy and fix your oversight.

Strangelight Material Conditions LP

The Oakland-based four-piece STRANGELIGHT features a lineup of veterans from bands like ALL YOU CAN EAT, KOWLOON WALLED CITY, TRANSISTOR TRANSISTOR, TRAP THEM, SWINGIN’ UTTERS, the NEW TRUST, and WESTERN ADDICTION, among others. Their latest effort Material Conditions is a tightly composed collection of nine songs and an intro track clocking in at twenty-three minutes, blending post-punk, post-hardcore, and indie rock influences. The mid-tempo songs channel ’90s DC vibes and sprinkle in some atmospheric interludes reminiscent of bands like MOGWAI or EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY. The recording quality is good and highlights the strong musicianship, but honestly? It just wasn’t my thing. Check out “Two Masters” if your interest is piqued.

Thine Retail Simps Strike Gold, Strike Back, Strike Out LP

On this third full-length album, the RETAIL SIMPS remain an anomaly, serving up an uninhibited procession of jams that impedes succinct description. Christened with a new iteration of their ever-evolving name (which Discogs has mercifully compiled as a single artist), this record is decidedly less traditionally cohesive than the previous two LPs with its mix of zappers, stewers, and instrumental breaks. Here you’ll find elements of old-fashioned boogie-woogie, barked poetry invoking the spirit of HOMOSTUPIDS, the herk and jerk of an off-kilter sonic threshold not unlike that of TYVEK, and other unlikely ingredients, all bookended with themeage including a rousing rendition of “Disco Duck” on the outro. But the space the SIMPS serenade is a grimy way station for rock’n’roll holdouts from decades past; a weird zone where shaggy 1960s garagers, cigarette-lipped 1970s longhairs, 1980s art school students, and guys who look like the saxophone player from the Muppets brush shoulders in passing with drinks in their hands. In this brilliant swamp of sound, they sometimes come across as the world’s most delusional party band, sometimes like a fentanyl-laced GRATEFUL DEAD, and occasionally like art-punk auteurs in the vein of LE SHOK (see: “Prismic Dangle”), always keeping you on your toes and never resting on their laurels. It’s exactly the type of curiously addictive concoction you might expect from a band that covers both UNNATURAL AXE and NEIL YOUNG.

Tú La Llevas Tú La Llevas LP

There’s a certain nostalgia at the core of this band’s sound, harkening back to when indie was a methodology and labels like Matador were standard bearers of guitar pop that stood left of center. The band’s name is even an homage to YO LA TENGO, so the mission statement is pretty clear. There’s a sort of dreaminess to the shimmering guitar and plaintive vocal melodies that really lands, lending depth and substance to what is ultimately a brisk listen. It’s not exactly life-changing, but it will bring a nice breeze to your day. It’s definitely exciting to hear music that calls back to a particularly rich era of indie rock that seems all but forgotten in today’s landscape in which “indie” can fill arenas. This harkens back to something simpler, personal, and expressive.

Ukabilkada Guretzat LP

Long-term readers may know that I, generally speaking, absolutely adore Basque punk, and specifically the Oi! that this region pumps out with a near clockwork regularity. This release from UKABILKADA promised a lot: a classic Oi! laurel wreath, a skull wearing a beret, a name that literally means “fist;” I was anticipating a good time indeed. But you know, they can’t be all heaters. It’s perfectly fine, workmanlike street punk. It’s not going to set the world alight, but that’s okay. Sadly, I think the most damning verdict I can give is that I can imagine it would be enjoyed by the sort of flat-cap-wearing, camo-shorts-bothering, and flesh-tunnels-sporting Euro skins who love this kind of thing.

Wet Specimens Dying in a Dream EP

Excellent release from Albany’s WET SPECIMENS, whose brand of deathrock-tinged hardcore punk never disappoints. Dying in a Dream features four tracks that see the band sounding cohesive and powerful, leaning into goth territory without ever sounding like a novelty act. In particular, the buzzsaw guitars on the opening title track and the doom-and-gloom of “Curtain Call” sound great, but this one’s a banger from start to finish. Highly recommended for fans of other evil punks ZORN and NURSE.

V/A Punx for Gaza: Benefit Compilation for Mutual Aid In Gaza cassette

As heartbreaking as the situation in Gaza is, I have to take some slight comfort in the fact that the punks have stepped up in a big way and raised a lot of money to get food and other needed things to the people of Gaza. I have seen people working tirelessly to make a difference in Gaza, and I have personally seen these punk compilations make a difference as well. I suggest that you buy this and donate what you can, it is saving lives. My favorites on here are NARKAN and GOLPE. If you like hardcore punk, then there is definitely something for you on this compilation, so buy it! Free Palestine!

Adrestia Requiem LP

This is one for the more metal-oriented punks—those who like people who can actually play their instruments or, to put it objectively, musicians who are actual musicians. ADRESTIA is, or rather was, from Sweden, since Requiem, the band’s seventh LP (including two splits) is their farewell record. I had never paid too much attention to ADRESTIA, and while I do think they are very good at what they do, what they do is not really my cup of tea. The music oscillates between heavy and dark metallic Swedish hardcore like MARTYRDOD or MISANTROPIC and old school death metal, and it all gets a little too technical and not wild enough for me at the end of the day, although it certainly sounds angry and the lyrics are clearly political. The very polished production highlights the band’s qualities and what they want to achieve, and I found myself quite liking the epic sludgy metal number “Where Gods Die” a lot, with very melodic guest vocals from one Linda Johansson. Interesting.

Autobahns First LP! LP

Good shit. I’ve been pretty critical of this so-called “egg-punk” movement since the CONEHEADS pretty much set the quality standard for that sound with their first LP. However, I think this band has something very interesting going for them. Lean, mean punk with enough spacy synths to keep it unique and refreshing. Very catchy riffs, with this nice kind of watery yet fuzzed-out production that keeps me captivated the whole way through. I also really enjoy the vocalist’s pissed-off sounding yelp—it complements songs like “Prick” and “Off Your Mask” very well. Clocking in at just 26 minutes, this is the kind of egg-punk that bum-rushes you with two 40s plus a bag of pills in its hands, and I’m lovin’ it.